A.Â
General.
(1)Â
From and after the date of enactment of this chapter, a stormwater
management plan and other information specified herein shall be submitted
to the municipality for all regulated activities. A stormwater management
plan and other information specified herein shall be submitted at
the same time and together with submission of a preliminary and/or
final subdivision or land development plan along with a completed
checklist supplied by the municipality indicating the items contained
within the submission. The applicant/developer and his/her registered
professional shall schedule a preapplication meeting that shall include
representatives from the municipality and the Municipal Planning Commission,
the Municipal Engineer, the Municipal Zoning Officer, the Municipal
Building Code Official, the Columbia County Conservation District
and, when required, PA DEP and PennDOT. The applicant/developer and
his/her registered professional are encouraged to schedule the preapplication
meeting as early in the design phase as practical.
(2)Â
Concurrent reviews. Such plans and information shall be considered
part of said zoning and subdivision documents and shall be reviewed
in accordance with procedures established thereunder. Preliminary
approval and/or final approval of a subdivision or land development
plan and/or the issuance of a zoning permit shall be contingent upon
the submission of a stormwater management plan and other materials
specified herein and approval of the stormwater management plan in
accordance with provisions of this chapter.
(3)Â
Review by Municipal Engineer. All stormwater management plans shall
be submitted to the Municipal Engineer for review and comment. Such
review shall include a statement by the Municipal Engineer specifying
the provisions of this chapter which have not been met by the plan
as submitted.
(4)Â
Validity of approved plan. Once a stormwater management plan has
been approved, together with a subdivision or land development plan
approval, or together with the issuance of a zoning permit, said stormwater
management plan shall be valid only for the subdivision, land development,
or zoning permit approved. Any further development on the lot or lots
requiring a revision of the approved plan or other construction or
activities, as defined by municipal zoning regulations, shall require
the submission of a new, amended or revised stormwater management
plan and other information specified herein.
B.Â
Exemptions from plan preparation.
(1)Â
The following activities may be exempt from the plan preparation and submission provisions of this chapter but shall remain subject to the minimum design standards and criteria specified in Article III of this chapter (and erosion and sediment pollution control requirements):
(a)Â
Noncommercial home gardening;
(b)Â
Agriculture, when operated in accordance with an approved conservation
plan or erosion and sedimentation control plan;
(c)Â
Regulated activity(ies) where the total impervious area associated
with such activity(ies) will be less than 5,000 square feet.
(d)Â
Regulated activity(ies) where the applicant/developer can satisfactorily
demonstrate that downstream property(ies), groundwater and waters
of the commonwealth will not be harmed if the total impervious area(s)
associated with such activity(ies) would exceed 5,000 square feet.
(e)Â
Forest management conducted in accordance with an approved erosion
and sediment pollution control plan may be exempt from the plan preparation
and submission provisions of this chapter; however, a plan showing
the location, extent and description of the proposed forest management
activities must be submitted to the municipality and its Engineer
for review and for a determination regarding the requirement to prepare
and submit a stormwater management plan in accordance with this chapter.
Forest management activities may not be conducted until the municipality
and its Engineer complete their review of the plan showing the location,
extent and description of the proposed forest management activities
and until the municipality and its Engineer approve any required stormwater
management plan for the proposed forest management activities. Forest
management activities involving timber harvesting in preparation for
future land development are not exempt from the plan preparation and
submission provisions of this chapter.
(2)Â
The municipality and its Engineer shall review all regulated activities
to determine if the activity or activities may be exempt from the
plan preparation and submission provisions of this chapter.
(3)Â
In addition to the criteria in this chapter subsection, the municipality
and its Engineer may require that regulated activities maintain a
minimum distance between proposed impervious areas/stormwater management
facility outlets and downslope property line(s).
C.Â
All regulated activities that do not fall under the exemption criteria
referenced above shall submit a drainage plan to the municipality
for review. These criteria shall apply to the total proposed development,
even if development is to take place in stages. Impervious cover shall
include, but not be limited to, any roof, parking or driveway areas,
and any new streets and sidewalks. Any areas designed to initially
be gravel or crushed stone shall be assumed to be impervious.
(1)Â
Stormwater drainage systems shall be provided in order to permit
unimpeded flow along natural watercourses, except as modified by stormwater
management facilities or open channels consistent with this chapter.
(2)Â
The existing points of concentrated drainage that discharge onto
adjacent property shall not be altered without permission of the affected
property owner(s) and shall be subject to any applicable discharge
criteria specified in this chapter.
(3)Â
Areas of existing diffused drainage discharge shall be subject to
any applicable discharge criteria in the general direction of the
existing discharge, whether proposed to be concentrated or maintained
as diffused drainage areas, except as otherwise provided by this chapter.
If diffused flow is proposed to be concentrated and discharged onto
adjacent property, the applicant/developer must document that adequate
downstream conveyance facilities exist to safely convey the concentrated
discharge or otherwise prove that no erosion, sedimentation, flooding
or other harm will result from the concentrated discharge.
(4)Â
Where a site is traversed by watercourses, drainage easements shall
be provided, conforming to the line of such watercourses. The terms
of the easement shall prohibit excavation, the placing of fill or
structures, and any alterations that may adversely affect the flow
of stormwater within any portion of the easement. Maintenance, including
mowing of vegetation within the easement, shall be required, except
as approved by the appropriate governing authority.
(5)Â
When it can be shown that, due to topographic conditions, natural
drainageways on the site cannot adequately provide for drainage, open
channels may be constructed, conforming substantially to the line
and grade of such natural drainageways. Work within natural drainageways
shall be subject to approval by PA DEP through the joint permit application
process or, where deemed appropriate by PA DEP, through a general
permit or small projects permit.
(6)Â
Any stormwater management facilities regulated by this chapter that
would be located within or adjacent to wetlands or other waters of
the commonwealth shall be subject to approval by PA DEP through the
joint permit application process or, where deemed appropriate by PA
DEP, the general permit process. When there is a question whether
wetlands may be involved, it is the responsibility of the applicant/developer
or his agent to show that the land in question cannot be classified
as wetlands, otherwise approval to work in the area must be obtained
from PA DEP.
(7)Â
Any stormwater management facilities regulated by this chapter that
would be located on state highway rights-of-way shall be subject to
approval by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
(8)Â
Minimization of impervious surfaces and infiltration of stormwater
runoff through stormwater infiltration facilities are encouraged where
soil conditions permit in order to reduce the size or eliminate the
need for detention facilities.
(9)Â
In order to promote overland flow and infiltration, roof drains should
not discharge directly to streets or storm sewers. Roof drains may
discharge directly to streets or storm sewers when deemed necessary
by the municipality and its Engineer. Under no circumstances shall
roof drains discharge directly to sanitary sewer systems.
A.Â
The content of the plans shall consist of annotated maps, drawings,
engineering plans and construction details. Said plan shall be prepared
by a professional engineer, professional land surveyor or a registered
landscape architect, with said preparer's seal and registration
number affixed to the plan. Plans for tracts of less than 20 acres
shall be drawn at a scale of one inch equals no more than 50 feet;
for tracts of 20 acres or more, plans shall be drawn at a scale of
one inch equals no more than 100 feet. Plans shall be submitted on
twenty-four-inch by thirty-six-inch sheets. All lettering shall be
legible if the plans are reduced to half size. All sheets comprising
a submission shall be on one size.
B.Â
The following minimum information, unless specifically exempted in
writing, must be shown on the plans and prepared in a form that meets
the requirements for recording in the office of the Register and Recorder
of Columbia County, Pennsylvania:
(1)Â
The name of the proposed development, the name and address of the
owner of the property and source of title, and the individual or firm
preparing the plan;
(2)Â
Date of submission and revision(s);
(3)Â
Graphic scale;
(4)Â
North point;
(5)Â
Total tract boundary with distances marked to the nearest foot, bearings
to the nearest degree and total acreage of the tract;
(6)Â
Key map showing all existing natural and man-made features beyond
the property boundary affected by the project and the extent of the
watershed that drains through the project site;
(7)Â
Topographic contours at intervals not greater than five feet for
existing and proposed conditions. Topographic contours at intervals
less than five feet may be required for sites where the average natural
ground slope is 4% or less to depict certain existing and future stormwater
management features and where required by the Municipal Engineer.
The reference datum used to develop topographic contours shall be
either NGVD 1929 or NAVD 1988;
(8)Â
Drainage areas and subareas affecting the site, including areas necessary
to determine downstream impacts analysis, where required, for proposed
stormwater management facilities;
(9)Â
Existing and proposed use, including the total area of impervious
surfaces after construction;
(10)Â
Existing soil types, karst formations, floodplain boundaries,
sinkholes, undrained depressions, rock outcrops, streams, drainagecourses,
wetlands based on existing sources and references, and vegetation;
(11)Â
Complete drainage systems for the site, including details for
construction. All existing drainage features which are to be incorporated
in the design shall be so identified. If the site is to be developed
in stages, a general drainage plan for the entire site shall be presented
with the first stage, and appropriate development stages for the drainage
system shall be indicated;
(13)Â
If stormwater management facilities are off site, a note must be placed on the plan(s) referring to the location of the off-site facility or facilities. Said note must identify the entity or entities that will be responsible for the conveyance to and maintenance of the off-site facility or facilities. All such off-site facilities shall meet the minimum design standards and criteria specified in Article III of this chapter, and details of the facilities shall be included with the plan;
(15)Â
The following statement by the landowner: "I/we hereby acknowledge
that I/we and/or my/our assignees/grantees shall be responsible for
maintenance of the stormwater management system shown hereon, in accordance
with the approved stormwater management ownership and maintenance
plan for this project, and that such stormwater system shall remain
as a permanent fixture that cannot be altered, replaced or removed
without prior written approval from Scott Township;"
(16)Â
The location of the permanent watercourse that will receive
stormwater runoff from the project site;
(18)Â
Horizontal and vertical profiles of any existing and proposed
channels, culverts, drainageways, storm sewers, streams or watercourses;
(19)Â
A note indicating that record (as-built) drawings will be submitted
by the applicant's/developer's professional engineer or
professional land surveyor for all stormwater facilities prior to
occupancy or the release of financial security. Scott Township reserves
the right to authorize the Municipal Engineer to review said record
drawing;
(20)Â
The following stormwater management design certification signature
block for the registered professional preparing the stormwater management
plan:
"I, __________, hereby certify that the Stormwater Management
Plan meets all design standards and criteria of the Scott Township
Stormwater Management Ordinance."
In addition to the plan information enumerated in § 118-12 of this article, the following minimum information shall be submitted.
A.Â
B.Â
The effect of the project on stormwater runoff volume, time to peak
flow, and rate of flow on adjacent property and upon an existing municipal
stormwater drainage system when such will be utilized.
C.Â
Description of all watercourses, impoundments and wetlands on or
adjacent to the site or into which stormwater flows.
D.Â
Soils investigation report, including boring logs, compaction requirements,
and recommendations for construction of detention basins, when requested
by the municipality or its Engineer.
E.Â
Karst features identification and analysis reports, and a hydrogeologic assessment of the effects of any regulated activity on sinkholes, as specified in Article III, §§ 118-14H(3), 118-15C and E, of this chapter.
F.Â
A soil erosion and sediment pollution control plan, including all
reviews and approvals, as required, by PA DEP and/or Columbia County
Conservation District.
G.Â
All easements, deed restrictions, covenants and maintenance measures of the system shall be outlined in an ownership and maintenance program in accordance with Article III, § 118-17, of this chapter. For stormwater management systems to be dedicated to the municipality, a maintenance guarantee, as specified by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, may be required by Scott Township. The municipality has the explicit right to reject any offer of dedication.
H.Â
All permits required by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the United
States Army Corps of Engineers, and other regulatory agencies.